Key-fastener



(No Model.)

I L. DION.

KEY FASTBNER. No. 268.640. Patented Dec. 5. 1882.

,i yz

N, FETERS. Phdlo-Li'bflw tr. Wuhingtun, D, C.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEON DION, OF NATIOK, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE S. TROWBRIDGE, TRUSTEE,

OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

KEY- FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,640, dated December 5, 1882. Application filed August 7, 1882. (No modelJ 1" all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LE'ON DION, of Natick, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts,

have invented an Improvement in Fastening 7 moved from the look so as to permit the insertion of a false key.

Itconsists in the combination, with a key having a flat or squared shank, of a fastenin'g device oonsistin g of a fork provided with a projection and arranged to slide across the key-hole in a guide made in the usual escutoheon, the fork embracing and holding the shank of the key after it has been turned to throw the bolt, the projection of the fork en-.

gaging a notch in the escutoheon and being thereby held in place. The said fork is arranged, as shown, relative to thekey-hole to engage the shank of the keyafter it has been turned to throw the bolt and while its bit rests against the inside of the lock-plate, so that it cannot be withdrawn until brought in line with the key-hole, a movement which is prevented by the fastening device. A spring cooperating with the fork holdsit so that the fork cannot be disengaged by an instrument inserted through the key-hole from the outside of the door.

Figure 1 shows in side view a portion of a door having a lock and escutoheon provided with a key held by a fastening device in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the key-fastenin g device detached; and Fig. 3, a section on the line a: m, Fig. l.

The lock, of which only the bolt a appears, may be of any usual construction, it being 0perated by a key, b, having. in this instance a flat shank made from sheet metal, The key is surrounded with an escutoheon or key-hole plate, 0, provided with a guide, d, for the keyfastening device or fork c. This key-fastening device is shown as a metal bar, forked or slotted at 2 to embrace the shank of the key b and prevent it from being rotated, the said device sliding across the round portion 3 of the key-hole at such an angle as to engage the key after it has been completely turned to throw the bolt and while its bit is in engagement with the inner face of the loi'ik-plate.

The fastening device 6 has on its upper face a locking-projection, 4, that engages a notch in the escutoheon when the said device is pushed in to embrace the key-shank, the said fastening device 0 being pressed outward from the door by the spring a to throw the said projection 4 into its notch, and it will be seen that an instrument inserted through the keyhole to slide back the device 6 would tend to hold the said locking-projection more closely in its notch. When desired to unfasten the key the fastening device is pressed back by means of the projecting portion 5, which serves as a handle to disengage the projection 4, and is then withdrawn from its position across the key-hole.

The fastening device 6 is provided with stop-projections 6 at its under side, which engage the end of a groove, 7, therefor in the wood-work, (see Fig. 3,) to prevent it from being wholly withdrawn from the escutoheon.

It will be seen that by this arrangement the key isfastened when its bit is engaged with the inner portions of the lock and out of line with the slotted portion 8 of the keyhole, Fig. 1, so that it cannot be forced longitudinally from the lock. In this my invention the escutoheon overlies the key fastener, and guides and holds it in place,,forming a very compact, strong, and cheap arrangement of parts, and the fastener e, when it engages the.

key, is almost concealed from sight.

I claim-- 1. The escutoheon 0, provided at its under side with a guide-groove and notched at its edge, and thefastening-fork adapted to slide across the key-hole of the escutoheon and engage the flattened portion of the key, and also provided with a locking-projection, 4, combined with a spring to cause the fastening-fork to engage the notch in the escutoheon, substantially as described.

2; The escntcheon 0, provided with the guide- In testimony whereof I have signed my name o groove and notch, combined with the sliding to this specification in the presence of two subnotched or forked key-fastening device proscribing Witnesses.

vidcd with a locking-projection, 4, and stopi T projections 6, and with the spring, whereby LEOI DION the said locking-projection is thrown into en- WVitnesses: gagement; with the notch, the stop-projection J 0s. 1. LIVERMORE, preventing the Withdrawal of the key-fasten- B. J. NOYES.

- ing device, all as described. 

